sign in
register
Watch
Netflix Fandor Amazon Channel MZ Choice Amazon Channel
+9
The Act of Killing
The Act of Killing
+9
JustWatch
Your probable score
?
The Act of Killing

The Act of Killing

2012
Documentary
1h 57m
In this chilling and inventive documentary, the unrepentant former members of Indonesian death squads are challenged to re-enact some of their many murders in the style of the American movies they love. (tiff.net)

Directed by:

Christine Cynn, Joshua Oppenheimer

Screenwriter:

Joshua Oppenheimer

Starring:

Haji Anif, Syamsul Arifin, Sakhyan Asmara, Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Ibrahim Sinik, Yapto Soerjosoemarno, Safit Pardede, Jusuf Kalla, Adi Zulkadry, Soaduon Siregar, Suryono

Genre:

Documentary

Countries:

Denmark, UK

Languages:

English, Indonesian
imdb IMDb
Update history
Suggest edit

The Act of Killing

2012
Documentary
1h 57m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 75.13% from 1754 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(1771)
Compact view
clear
Compact view
Show
Sort
barthalenBarthalen
Rated 17 Oct 2013
91
98th
Ironically, watching this documentary made me want to kill all the main interviewees. Seeing these people be so open and proud about the atrocities they committed, joking about mass murder and discussing killing techniques as if they were dinner recipes... if I had any Gamma radiation in my system, I would've Hulked out. Instead, I just felt disgusted, disturbed, uncomfortable and finally exhausted. Required viewing if you believe humans are The Worst Species In The Universe.
Rated 17 Oct 2013
joeroxyjoeroxy
Rated 30 Jun 2013
82
95th
I've never seen a documentary that could portrait such a balance between totally absurd humor and pure horror.
Rated 30 Jun 2013
im_movies[Im]-Movies
Rated 26 May 2013
95
96th
A character arch unlike any I've seen. A documentary less about the human potential for cruelty and evil, and more about the birth of the soul. In heaves horrifying, moving, infuriating, devastating, beautiful, and all at once profound. A masterpiece of narrative documentary filmmaking. Superb.
Rated 26 May 2013
anomalyAnomaly
Rated 24 Jan 2016
89
93rd
A lurid and haunting look at the darkness within humanity, and the near-endless ability of the human mind to rationalize its actions. Near the end we begin to see cracks form in the mental defenses of one of the perpetrators, and it is gut-wrenchingly powerful. Cinema holding a mirror up to the soul.
Rated 24 Jan 2016
lumpnboylumpnboy
Rated 08 Apr 2014
70
81st
Uniquely explores individual and socio-political consequences of massive 1965 Indonesian slaughters of mostly landless peasants, ethnic Chinese and Communists, with perpetrators still connected to real power, social organisation and ideology. I was in a '90s project with young Indonesians to recover this history to think their contemporary realities; may be the best broadly available portrait. But see Martha Stroud's 2015 PhD, 'Ripples, Echoes, and Reverberations: 1965 and Now in Indonesia'.
Rated 08 Apr 2014
markjpMArkjp
Rated 29 Jan 2014
95
97th
An absolute stroke of genius. Not only within it's genre but on all thinkable levels. Oppenheimer presents the atrocities in a way that transcends the documentary genre and creates some of the most interesting and uncomfortable scenes in moviemaking history. Never judging, never biased he approaches the killers with an open mind and gains acces to their side of the story in an utterly remarkable way resulting in a film at times absurd, at times hilarious but always disturbing and horrifying.
Rated 29 Jan 2014
yesistastyyesistasty
Rated 08 Nov 2013
94
85th
At first it beggared belief that these men could be so candid about their personal corruption. But as it slowly dawned on me that this seemingly blithe openness was really a method of obfuscating the actual torment contained within, I came to see the characters as real once more.
Rated 08 Nov 2013
jakeaestheteJakeAesthete
Rated 14 Sep 2013
93
93rd
Assigning this film a score seems almost irrelevant, as it's merits as a moral and humanitarian document eclipse any subjective "cinematic" achievements (which is not to say it lacks those either by any means). Which is also not to say that it's some grandstanding, self-righteously moralizing "Humanitarian" work either. Not only does it draw attention to historical atrocities, but it forces us to consider the moral responsibilities of cinematic images themselves.
Rated 14 Sep 2013
davidblastDavidBlast
Rated 17 May 2014
90
93rd
This documentary somehow manages to capture the level of absurdity that befits the travesty the perpetrators are trying to re-enact. It's funny, it's tragic, it's disgusting, it's horrible. But it's never short of essential viewing. And if we are to take anything positive from this movie, it appears to me, that even though we have the capability of killing each other, we clearly aren't meant to.
Rated 17 May 2014
frankswildfrankswild
Rated 15 Feb 2014
90
94th
I was expecting recent history to be revealed but it ended up being a lot more than that. The horror and indecency of the 60s pogroms and current simmering fascism seem to be as disturbing to some of the perpetrators as they are to people watching this movie but you can only see the full weight of their crimes lurking in their minds and bubbling up from time to time
Rated 15 Feb 2014
actionbergActionberg
Rated 12 Aug 2013
90
92nd
The Act of Killing is a horrific, perception-shattering work of nonfiction that abrasively shocks its audience into contemplating the psychological context of committing grand-scale human atrocity. The irony is that it is not the grim details of genocide in Indonesia in the 1960s that disturb the viewer, but the pervasive, playful sense of complacency with these murderous acts that the same society harbors fifty years later.
Rated 12 Aug 2013
andreasthauAndreasThau
Rated 31 Oct 2012
60
42nd
I wasn't as overwhelmed as the reviews had prepared me to be. Clearly, the movie deals with something truly extraordinary and worthy of a film - watch it because of that. But once the premise is established, I think the movies circles too much around the same things. Until the last 15 minutes, the movie in large durations lacks storyline progress, or simply put: drive. Being as interesting as it is, it's a shame.
Rated 31 Oct 2012
desertpunkDesertPunk
Rated 23 Nov 2016
92
98th
Be Kind Rewind's sadder cousin.
Rated 23 Nov 2016
theficionadotheficionado
Rated 08 Jan 2016
100
97th
In which cinema takes a long, hard look at itself and does not like what it sees.
Rated 08 Jan 2016
twincinematwincinema
Rated 22 Jan 2015
85
85th
(Dir. Cut) In the few days since I have seen this film, I have found that it's impossible to describe what, exactly, it is that I saw. As I begin to describe it, it feels like some nightmarish waking dream that barely makes any sense. As I watched it with my GF, I kept saying out loud, "I don't understand how these people can rationalize their atrocities!" I assume this is something that everyone says while watching, but even in the end, I still had no answer. There is none.
Rated 22 Jan 2015
dresd_r_e_s_
Rated 23 Feb 2014
4
90th
A slow and a bit messy start, but haunting and absolutely fantastic finish. The last 40 minutes or so was incomparable! - Very Good
Rated 23 Feb 2014
lexlex
Rated 12 Feb 2014
95
91st
(Dir. Cut) I've never been so gripped and shook by a documentary before. Not only a commentary on the human condition and its fascinated relationship with killing but on the world we live in which so freely throws it in our face, and the consequences of its undeniably wide appeal. My feelings when I watched this can hardly be put to words. Essential viewing (whether you like it or not is of no consequence).
Rated 12 Feb 2014
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 27 Jan 2014
100
99th
The most terrifying theme of the film for me is the catastrophic power it holds on our presumptions of modernity. We like to think we are an enlightened bunch, elevated by intellect and haughty through practice and restraint. Yet, the 20th century, of which this film is but a taste, is the bloodiest on (and of) human record. It's a cold reminder that Commies here may in another context be Sunni, Armenian, Ukranian, Bengali, Bosnian, women, gay, Christian, or simply poor. How fucking progressive.
Rated 27 Jan 2014
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 15 Jan 2014
4
70th
At first, what's most horrific is the impunity with which the primaries admit to performing genocide. But Anwar Congo's gradual realization and recognition of his sins begins to weigh on him, and what started as a look into the cognitive dissonance of horrific violence slowly morphs into an act of penitence - one far too little and too late to atone for the atrocities in question, of course.
Rated 15 Jan 2014
icarusIcarus
Rated 15 Jan 2014
91
91st
This chilling portrait of human depravity never turns its gaze away, and allows no room to slide out from under the devastating reality of what humans can do to each other. At one point, a television technician surmises that all the killing has made Mr. Congo "crazy." But she couldn't be further from the truth. The film testifies to the hard reality that these men are completely lucid and functional in society, even as they harbor sick and twisted views of themselves and others.
Rated 15 Jan 2014
djrossdjross
Rated 14 Jan 2014
65
71st
Hard to score. Syberberg explored the idea that Hitler saw the Third Reich as a gigantic real-life movie, of which he would be director and star. Here, Oppenheimer hands the camera over to murderous paramilitaries and gangsters and allows them free rein to play dress-ups and Cowboys-and-Indians and make a movie. Some remarkable sequences that raise some very interesting and important questions only partly assuage this viewer's doubt about the moral and political defensibility of the enterprise.
Rated 14 Jan 2014
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 13 Dec 2013
63
60th
Somewhat similar but inferior to Rithy Panh's docus about Cambodia, but doesn't feature survivors, relies much more heavily (and excessively) on reenactments, tries unsuccessfully to give more political context, and is less illuminating. The most powerful moments occur when the subjects just give raw testimonies and when they are confronted and pressed, but I would have edited out the more indulgent aesthetic exercises and the overemphasis on the "gangsters'" influence by American movies.
Rated 13 Dec 2013
chadisdangerchadisdanger
Rated 04 Dec 2013
95
99th
I saw a review of this film that described the viewing experience as bathing in a nightmare, and that sounds perfect to me. This is a very difficult film to watch because it doesn't just depict or describe inhuman and vile acts, but rather immerses you fully into some remarkably surreal and unpleasant fantasies, a poisoned culture (the killings are proudly remembered!) and the minds and souls of the perpetrators. And it's a fucking documentary. Terrifying, unique and utterly essential.
Rated 04 Dec 2013
ahamel7896ahamel7896
Rated 26 Jul 2013
9
91st
This is a totally unique film. Never before have I been so sickened and entertained at the same time.
Rated 26 Jul 2013
zspyryzspyry
Rated 29 Apr 2013
8
92nd
This probably would have benefited from being a bit shorter, but it's worth to watch it for a number of scenes, especially the ending.
Rated 29 Apr 2013
bownBown
Rated 30 Dec 2019
90
93rd
One of the most horrifying and disturbing documentaries I’ve ever seen, and a relentless look into the human soul in a myriad of unexpected ways.
Rated 30 Dec 2019
sellissellis
Rated 05 Dec 2019
93
93rd
Probably Michael Haneke's favorite documentary. It says everything he tried to say with Funny Games but with the grisly details of real world psychology and one nation's violent delusion. This film is about the distance used to manipulate our moral perception of reality. This relates to not only the subjects being filmed, but the filmmaker himself. He respects his subjects' perception until, finally, he is asked to share his own. The last fifteen minutes of this film are unforgettably powerful.
Rated 05 Dec 2019
kasperlKasperL
Rated 14 Aug 2017
70
65th
Brilliant in several ways, but I much prefer 'The Look of Silence'.
Rated 14 Aug 2017
thuckabethuckabe
Rated 11 Jan 2017
91
87th
Humans are terrifying.
Rated 11 Jan 2017
bronesbyBronesby
Rated 13 Jul 2016
94
91st
brutally powerful. skinning alive the notion of harmless romanticizing, or that living the unexamined life is very far from getting away with murder. this film takes its toll with deafening sobriety.
Rated 13 Jul 2016
wulfstanleeWulfstanLee
Rated 27 Jun 2016
100
94th
Brilliantly shot (love the color and mise-en-scene) and a brilliant idea to foreground the idea of history as narrative, to put the focus on the stories that these murderers need to tell themselves to keep their minds (or not).
Rated 27 Jun 2016
closedmouthclosedmouth
Rated 29 May 2016
90
89th
What the fuck, Indonesia?
Rated 29 May 2016
chroniclerChronicler
Rated 06 Mar 2016
100
95th
A Chilling documentary on the depths of peoples depravity and indifference towards one another in a time of crisis and turmoil. The fact that most of those who carried out the mass killings showed little or no remorse,guilt or apprehension over what they did was surreal. The film really hits at how people rationalize,compartmentalize and justify horrific deeds done in service of the nation. The Act of Killing should be required viewing for all old enough to handle the subject matter.
Rated 06 Mar 2016
okayfrogokayfrog
Rated 19 Jan 2016
75
90th
Is it odd that I find this to be a really great film, yet at the same time was not too disturbed or bothered by what was appearing on screen? The people we see are walking contradictions but the same can surely be said for most men. The most heinous parts of the film were the constant reminders that Indonesia is still being run by these people, and that even though one might have changed, changing a nation is much more difficult. What a well-paced film. Love the shift in the final third.
Rated 19 Jan 2016
armilioArmilio
Rated 24 May 2015
88
96th
You can understand why is so interesting simply reading Wiki. Only the confessions of these "gangsters" - like they call theirself - are extraordinary: different people that cohabit with their common past in different ways. But is extraordinary also to what these depositions lead to: to doubt about goodness of the humanity free will; and to medidations about how powerful can be the cinema: Anwar find truth and chatarsis (only) in it; but in the dark past he found also ispiration for his crimes.
Rated 24 May 2015
dardandardan
Rated 08 May 2015
88
91st
Requires paying attention and sometimes taking a step back to realize and appreciate how non-surreal and insane the stuff on display is. Deep down they seem to doubt their own deluded justification, something that (un)fortunately leads some to double down on it and be even more open about it, as if it were a defense in-itself, at least for them. This venture to protect their ego's requires exposure of that deluded persona, even if this it grates with what they know we will see them as.
Rated 08 May 2015
neonmanNeonman
Rated 23 Jan 2015
79
61st
Uggh, I haven't seen such reprehensible villains in a film in quite some time, and these guys and their actions were real! Quite the stark, deep look into the abyss, Oppenheimer remains somewhat on the villain's side, letting them present the story of what happened, which makes them realise "maybe killing is ... not a nice thing to do?" An original idea for a documentary that's been executed (a-ha!) as well as it could've done, but I would've liked some more oddball surreal moments.
Rated 23 Jan 2015
fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 06 Oct 2014
9
90th
The kind of movie that makes me want to leave everything behind, buy a house in the countryside, live reclusively with my beloved Border Collie and become a shepherd.
Rated 06 Oct 2014
coinquatroCoinQuatro
Rated 28 Mar 2014
100
99th
They should show this in school, everywhere.
Rated 28 Mar 2014
fenixdownfenixdown
Rated 19 Mar 2014
84
90th
About as dark as cinema verite can get. The cold-hearted bastards depicted in this film even think it goes too far.
Rated 19 Mar 2014
cclxndrcclxndr
Rated 01 Mar 2014
90
88th
Remove the wool from over your eyes - this is a relentless scope into the psychological "nerve damage" of perpetrators behind the anti-communist Indonesian purge of the mid-60's. Oppenheimer urges the question: how deep does the process need to be for a human to recover from so much first-hand abomination? The doc explores the dark misguided side to humanity but reminds us that these heinous acts of mass murder were committed by ACTUAL people, some of who we intimately begin to know. Essential.
Rated 01 Mar 2014
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 17 Jan 2014
95
97th
Fascinating, disturbing, and ultimately quite powerful look at a group of "gangsters" from Indonesia that tortured, killed, and raped people due to them being considered Communists. It's hard to describe what you will watch, it won't feel like reality in a lot of ways.
Rated 17 Jan 2014
billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 15 Jan 2014
95
96th
I almost felt bad for a monster.
Rated 15 Jan 2014
aaautinAAAutin
Rated 11 Jan 2014
60
71st
More like THE ACT OF RETCHING, amirite?
Rated 11 Jan 2014
funkyastroFunkyAstro
Rated 05 Jan 2014
95
97th
This look into the fiber of human nature and morality is incomparable to any non-fiction piece I've seen before. I feel kind of shellshocked after watching this. That's the way a documentary should make you feel.
Rated 05 Jan 2014
obdurateObdurate
Rated 31 Dec 2013
85
81st
I loved the premise but I didn't know what to really expect. What I got was a disgusting documentary that is incredibly hard to watch, a film that makes you incredibly angry at these people and how they seemingly bath in the glory of their pasts. There are moments of enlightenment, but for them its too little too late. Maybe too powerful for its own good, as it's the type of film that will alienate people. I don't know if I enjoyed it so much as I was just impacted by it. Chilling documentary.
Rated 31 Dec 2013
payenspayens
Rated 13 Dec 2013
86
82nd
To kill a man is a hell of a thing...
Rated 13 Dec 2013
spanksSpanks
Rated 10 Dec 2013
30
19th
Considering the source material, this is extremely underwhelming. The two hour and forty minute run-time overstays its welcome; after the first half hour I started to zone out. Errol Morris was a producer of this, and the whole time I could keep thinking how vastly it could have been improved had he directed. Doubt I'll watch much of Oppenheimer again.
Rated 10 Dec 2013
dmcrimsonDMCrimson
Rated 11 Oct 2013
89
98th
I recommended this movie to Wesley Snipes on twitter and then he liked my tweet. I hope Blade enjoys one of the most horrifying and disturbing films ever.
Rated 11 Oct 2013
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 10 Sep 2013
7
94th
....a hallucinatory splurge of anxious, disconcerting images bubbling from the cracks separating fiction and reality. more here: http://themissingslate.com/2013/09/06/private-theatre-the-act-of-killing/
Rated 10 Sep 2013
xacviantxacviant
Rated 19 Aug 2013
83
61st
Anwar Conggo, one of the perpetrators of the Indonesian anti-Communist massacres of the 60s, is given the chance to re-enact his killings in the styles of various film genres--a process with unforeseen consequences for himself. When it focuses on Conggo and his films, it's startling, colorful, and in the end, haunting. But too much of it focuses on modern Indonesia's cavalier attitude to the killings, and the hazy construction doesn't help. There are still enough privileged moments to behold.
Rated 19 Aug 2013
buttercupbuttercup
Rated 08 Aug 2013
9
94th
it is striking how these fuckers are so open about their killings and unbearably disgusting how proud they are. this doc will ask for real nerves from you. i wish it was a stupid mockumentary.
Rated 08 Aug 2013
td888td888
Rated 05 Aug 2013
90
95th
There are no words to describe this. If you want to learn about human nature, this is as close as you can get. I am still wondering if what I saw was all real or just one big elaborate joke. The hand of Herzog in this production is very obvious, I wonder what the result would have been if he would have been behind the camera himself. Don't forget to look at the end-credits, they are a revelation onto themselves.
Rated 05 Aug 2013
koliak2991koliak2991
Rated 02 Aug 2013
92
95th
one of the most powerful documentaries I've seen
Rated 02 Aug 2013
lepraLepra
Rated 31 Jul 2013
80
90th
Never knew documentaries could be so surreal.
Rated 31 Jul 2013
cowmanCowman
Rated 10 Jul 2013
75
75th
A bit long.
Rated 10 Jul 2013
parcalihamparcaliham
Rated 22 Jun 2013
95
95th
23 Subat 2013, bade ile ifistanbul & wtf?!
Rated 22 Jun 2013
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 02 Dec 2024
93
94th
Consistently shocking throughout its entire runtime how brazen, proud, and gleeful these mass-murderers are as they stroll down memory lane through the ghosts of all of the people they genocided and how flagrant their recreations of their endlessly heinous crimes are. This is truly daring documentary filmmaking; I can't recall another doc I've seen where dozens of "Anonymous" fill up the entire screen during the credit crawl to protect the identities of those involved.
Rated 02 Dec 2024
wixwinWixwin
Rated 29 May 2024
10
74th
like no other doc ive seen
Rated 29 May 2024
brrrpbrrrp
Rated 19 Feb 2024
75
76th
Powerful, even if a bit long. Not sure the perpetrators needed to be indulged to this degree, but certainly an interesting notion.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
yorgoyorgo
Rated 04 Dec 2023
90
85th
Raw, disturbing, eye-opening, thought-provoking, and lots of similar adjectives. Incredible way of documenting this insane story.
Rated 04 Dec 2023
rosmarinusrosmarinus
Rated 08 Oct 2023
95
78th
The documentary is powerful in demonstrating how the state can be an organized criminal entity by working with gangsters and semi-legal paramilitary organizations and how international law and human rights can be inadequate.
Rated 08 Oct 2023
spaceflohspacefloh
Rated 03 Feb 2023
30
9th
ind_eng; [the act of killing]; der ehemalige chef eines indonesischen mordkommandos möchte einen dokumentarfilm über sein leben.;
Rated 03 Feb 2023
adragon91ADragon91
Rated 21 Jan 2023
100
99th
Holy shit! One of the best Documentaries I’ve ever seem. Chilling and powerful. Nothing like it.
Rated 21 Jan 2023
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 26 Nov 2022
94
97th
A stunning documentary, one of the best I've ever seen. Some of the stuff that happens in this that is captured on film would seem too difficult to believe in a fictional piece. There's no way I can limit myself to the number of characters allowed here in describing this. A chilling statement about the banality of evil, both regarding the individuals featured here and the western governments (like the US and UK) who enabled their evil in the name of anticommunism.
Rated 26 Nov 2022
deaddillydeaddilly
Rated 09 Jun 2021
80
72nd
Featuring people so reprehensible the film became oddly boring to watch. At least I found it nearly impossible to bear listening to these psychos for 2+ hours. Still, there is such unimaginable atrocity that this film stands on that it deserves to be seen by every human to confront their de-sensitivity.
Rated 09 Jun 2021
lintonmyroxylintonmyroxy
Rated 19 May 2021
86
61st
Meh
Rated 19 May 2021
ceekay19Ceekay19
Rated 05 Mar 2021
90
95th
Joshua Oppenheimer: "Actually, the people you tortured felt far worse, because you knew it's only a film. They knew they were being killed."
Rated 05 Mar 2021
michaelm2391michaelm2391
Rated 24 Feb 2021
80
90th
funnier than it is heavy
Rated 24 Feb 2021
caspiancaspian
Rated 19 Jul 2020
95
95th
The contrast of the subject's extremity and the deft guiding hand of the filmmakers unravel untold traumas
Rated 19 Jul 2020
eatbeanseatbeans
Rated 12 Jul 2020
4
37th
It's a good movie if you like... killers... I guess
Rated 12 Jul 2020
evilmangoesEvilMangoes
Rated 10 Jun 2020
90
71st
A-
Rated 10 Jun 2020
velvet_croweVelvet Crowe
Rated 22 Jun 2019
83
93rd
Despite having committed horrific atrocities with no regret, I can't really bring myself to hate these people. A victim of circumstance, they were socialized to believe their horrid acts served the greater good and they find solace in this. The film is at its best when these people are recounting their horrid actions with nostalgia, but sometimes the filming scenes can be slow and monotonous to watch. On the other hand, the conclusion is so good I can't find myself hating this.
Rated 22 Jun 2019
toddsaltertoddsalter
Rated 10 Jan 2019
88
49th
I was moved but I couldn't directly relate to the historical event. And part of me was even skeptical that people could really rationalize such actions. So it was just ok for me.
Rated 10 Jan 2019
whatismynamewhatismyname
Rated 23 Aug 2018
70
77th
The slow realization of the actions Anwar committed was pretty haunting.
Rated 23 Aug 2018
siphus007siphus007
Rated 31 Jul 2018
87
92nd
Have I sinned?
Rated 31 Jul 2018
thewavesthewaves
Rated 18 Jul 2018
60
12th
etik nedir
Rated 18 Jul 2018
sybaritesybarite
Rated 28 May 2018
90
95th
Easily one of the top two or three films of the 21st century, so far.
Rated 28 May 2018
anttirAnttiR
Rated 07 Oct 2017
71
19th
Convincing, but many ethically questionable choices by directors.
Rated 07 Oct 2017
barraocBarraoc
Rated 13 May 2017
80
85th
Surreal and shocking, The Act of Killing takes re-enactment in documentary filmmaking to a whole new level.
Rated 13 May 2017
kito1kito1
Rated 06 May 2017
40
10th
This probably smashed at Sundance or Cannes or whatever, but I couldn't wait for it to end. Just so, so very long and dry. Seriously, fuck this cold, lifeless social commentary.
Rated 06 May 2017
emtiltemtilt
Rated 16 May 2016
90
93rd
(Director's Cut)
Rated 16 May 2016
rafalivrarirafa_livrari
Rated 15 Apr 2016
86
81st
A very disturbing piece of art.
Rated 15 Apr 2016
cowfrappecowfrappe
Rated 08 Apr 2016
82
91st
Documentary as art as well as a social tool. Unforgettable for its visuals as well as its subject matter.
Rated 08 Apr 2016
cinegeekdecinegeek.de
Rated 07 Apr 2016
89
77th
...Zwischen Faszination und Entsetzen schwanken wir dabei, denn hier werden keine Monster vorgeführt, sondern Menschen, die taten, was sie für richtig hielten. Gewissenbisse? Nein, die allermeisten schlafen recht gut mit ihrer Vergangenheit. (Dazu haben wir für euch eine Film List erstellt mit den schmerzhaftesten Dokus von den Krisenherden der Welt auf der Empfehlungsseite unserer Videothek cinegeek.de
Rated 07 Apr 2016
realmacgyverRealMacgyver
Rated 15 May 2015
90
94th
People man people
Rated 15 May 2015
mercMerc
Rated 15 Apr 2015
50
9th
One doesn't pull off political mass murder with impunity without having a certain preternatural skill for manipulating the media, whether journalists or documentarians.
Rated 15 Apr 2015
chengmingchengming
Rated 24 Dec 2014
75
77th
Fantastic concept, but twice as long as it should have been.
Rated 24 Dec 2014
kerrylandkerryland
Rated 22 Nov 2014
60
6th
Interesting, but I eventually stopped watching because the "stars" were simply disgusting and I didn't like contributing to their 15 minutes of fame.
Rated 22 Nov 2014
maakalmaakal
Rated 21 Nov 2014
92
97th
Unbelievable access makes this one of the most horrifying and unforgettable documentaries I've ever seen. This is what true evil looks like... watching the main character grapple (probably for the first time) with the things he's done was absolutely riveting. And given the gravity of his crimes, there's no danger of the audience sympathizing with him. A must-see.
Rated 21 Nov 2014
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 15 Nov 2014
92
98th
Utterly terrifying surrealism that can only exist as part of a very real and deeply traumatised social consciousness. Yet in the heart of this film there is an almost irrationally defiant sense of optimism. Hope for reconciliation in face of absolutely defeating human horror.
Rated 15 Nov 2014
hellsditchhellsditch
Rated 22 Oct 2014
79
56th
Uh, what do I do with this? Miracle work by the filmmakers who are somehow able to film and, I assume, forge relationships with murderers and psychopaths without (rightfully) condemning or damning them. You will certainly not "enjoy" this (unless you are a sadistic murderer). That's a given. But ultimately, I'm not sure what exactly I took from it besides that there are truly horrible people out there. How these people are still alive, the death's of their victims unavenged? I have no idea.
Rated 22 Oct 2014
sirrobbieSirRobbie
Rated 27 Aug 2014
90
96th
Powerful stuff
Rated 27 Aug 2014
petrostserPetrosTser
Rated 17 Aug 2014
70
70th
Quite gripping and at times even funny, "The Act Of Killing" hammers home a brutal truth.
Rated 17 Aug 2014
rufamRufam
Rated 16 Aug 2014
75
72nd
A slap in the face, as it is pretty much intended. To witness a moral code as radically different is a shock -not that the Western values are glorified or anything, as underlined by the 'gangster' parallels. And I can hardly accuse the filmmakers for manipulation -they remain gracefully silent, while a Moore or a Herzog would have hardly resisted. I'm not saying I'll be rewatching this any time soon and it can get monotonous (it can get funny too, who knew) but it's essential filmmaking.
Rated 16 Aug 2014
korteeKortee
Rated 31 Jul 2014
62
35th
The matter itself is really something to be amazed with, movie on the other hand, was outstretched and lacked coherence.
Rated 31 Jul 2014
caimancaiman
Rated 16 Jul 2014
90
92nd
A horrifying experience, not because it shows the atrocities of a particular act or the attitudes of a specific group of people, but because it feels so applicable to humanity as a whole. I think most people can very easily lose sight of morality under the right circumstances (i.e. when evil people are in a position of great influence). The nonchalance towards cruelty shown here is unsettling beyond words. Nonchalance isn't even the right word; they're outright reveling in their immorality.
Rated 16 Jul 2014
forehead1forehead1
Rated 20 May 2014
80
96th
I must admit to being desensitised to the torture and murder detailed in the first half of this doc. After seeing films with ex Nazis & Soviet secret police candidly recounting their past barbarity, one sadistic war criminal seems no different to the last. But this bunch are exceptionally odd, and the second hour reveals the true extent of both their atrocities and weirdness, finishing with unexpected penitence for one. Horrifying, fascinating and puzzling in equal measure.
Rated 20 May 2014
hofschneiderHofschneider
Rated 22 Apr 2014
98
99th
indescribable.
Rated 22 Apr 2014
thehynesthehynes
Rated 10 Apr 2014
60
64th
A truly remarkable documentary featuring some of the most utterly vile creatures imaginable.Depressing & amazing and,at times, utterly surreal.
Rated 10 Apr 2014

Collections

Loading ...

Similar Titles

Loading ...

Statistics

Loading ...

Trailer

Loading ...